Principle: Chloroform is prepared in the laboratory by the action of ethanol with a fine paste of bleaching powder in water. Bleaching powder supplies the chlorine and Ca(OH)2 necessary for reaction; Cl2 acts as an oxidizing agent as well as chlorination agent and Ca(OH)2 is used as an alkali.

Step-1: At first bleaching powder and water (1:2) react to form chlorine and lime water [Ca(OH)2]

Ca(OC1) + H2O = C12 + Ca(OH)2

Step-2: (Oxidation): In this step ethanol is oxidized by chlorine of bleaching powder to form ethanaldehyde.

CH3 – CH2 – OH + C12 = CH3 – CHO + 2HCl.

Step-3 (Chlorination): The produced ethanaldehyde reacts with chlorine to produce chloral.

CH3 – CHO + 3C12 = C13C – CHO + 3HCl.

Step-4 (Hydrolysis): In this step, the produced chloral undergoes hydrolysis with Ca(OH)2 with the formation of chloroform and calcium formate.

Cl3C – CHO + Ca(OH)2 = 2CHCl3 + (HCOO)2Ca

Uses of Chloroform.

Chloroform is a sweet smelling liquid which is used for the following a purpose.

It is used as the solvent for the production of dyes and pesticides.

Chloroform is mostly used tools in kidnapping especially in books and movies.

Chloroform usually contains heavy metal like deuterium which is used for solvent as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.